THE VIRUS
by LizzyTheCat2000
Summary: It's a new world out there. One filled to the brim with flesh eating monsters out to get the young teenagers. Annabeth had been on a school trip, visiting London when the world snowballed, leaving her marooned there. Percy Jackson was in a new boarding school, far far away from his family. See how their paths collide in the new apocalyptic world filled with zombies, groups meeting.
1. Hello Apocalypse

First the virus made them ill.

Then only hours later they would change, for some it would take longer.

But the outcome was always the same.

They would become flesh eating monsters.

The only other option was death.

This is all everybody knew when the virus hit, infecting everybody over the age of sixteen.

* * *

This is what Annabeth Chase knew when things snowballed downhill, crashing into everything and ending the world as they knew it. First to go was Los Angeles, New York soon following, the place where her family resided. Her father obviously, her step-mother, and her two younger brothers, twins who had recently been celebrating their fifth birthday while fourteen (soon to be fifteen) year old Annabeth was on a school trip to London.

With nowhere to go, no family, and no-one there to look after her baby half brothers whilst her parents either died or became something much worse.

Zombies.

Sickos.

Strangers.

Flesh-munching monsters with a particular taste for human flesh, more specifically the un-infected under sixteens' flesh.

Annabeth shook her head, blonde princess curls bouncing as she did so. Trying to forget about the thoughts of her likely lost family. She didn't want to the how she was an orphan, how all her family was probably dead.

It was the same for others.

Like the last of her school mates who had attended the trip with her. Were marooned with her. There was Thalia Grace, Juniper Treetop, Will Solace and Leo Valdez, that was the whole remainder of the people who had attended the trip with her, the pupils that is. The pupils attending adding up to precisely thirty two.

Out of thirty two pupils, people she had attended school with, laughed with, and grown up with, only five out of that original thirty two were still alive, only two weeks earlier they had all arrived excited and wide eyed, happy to be away from the classroom and grinning at the idea of all they would soon see.

Her and the remainder of her friends stumbled onwards as they tried to find somewhere to stay for the night. To curl up in and catch up on some sleep, after all four more had died today including someone they had hailed as a great fighter, Clarisse La Rue. The others who had perished had been asleep on guard duty, Annabeth and her friends only still alive because they had been in the room along from them.

Will had been woken awake by the screams they soon all heard as their old school mates were torn apart limb from limb by the adults that had broken into the small terraced house they had previously stayed in. Hoping to be able to stay for a while, settle maybe, after all whoever had been the previous owner had stocked up well and was filled with various colourful tin cans of food.

But after their friends deaths it wasn't going to happen, so grabbing the food they could Annabeth and her friends had legged it, their friends already long gone, the adults feasting on their flesh.

Now her, Thalia, Leo, Juniper, Will were trekking down a long winding street looking for an appropriate place to break in, somewhere with no broken windows would be a good bet. They might even try to look for a key under a front patio flower pot, the adults wouldn't be using them to get in any time soon.

Heck with how quickly it was getting dark they would knock on the bloody door!

Leo nudged her as he surveyed a likely candidate for a squat. "What about that one?" he said in his usually upbeat voice, still with its bounce but hoarse from only having a trickle of their water supplies which were dwindling...

Annabeth analysed it, seeing the reason why he chose it, the house was in a spic and span condition, no cans littering the ground out front, not smashed windows... in fact from what she could tell the windows seemed boarded up. The downstairs anyway. No way for adults to break in.

Annabeth nodded at him, grinning lightly at the idea of possibly being able to settle there and grab a nights sleep. But they were getting ahead of themselves. First they had to check it out.

She knocked on the door, managing to do so without the others stopping her. No yelling out. That was a dangerous thing to do in the new world. The wrong people might be attracted by the noise. Like the walkers in _The Walking Dead._ They weren't going to be making more series of that any time soon...

It was Will who looked at her incredulously first grabbing her fiercely by the wrist "What do you think you're doing?!" he hissed, spittle at the corners of his cracked lips. Bright blue eyes wide, idly Annabeth took notice of the dirty smudge by his left cheekbone.

"Someone's living here. Better to knock instead of break in, don't you think?" her tone became patronising, without meaning too really. Everything that had happened had done that too them.

He nodded roughly after eyeing what she had noticed about the house. She was proved right as they heard the cautious pitter patter of feet. They each tensed pulling their makeshift weapons close to them. Ready to fight if there was need for it. Fighting was something they had each become rather ready for, if not being skilled than able enough. Will best at healing and sorting out any wounds that occurred...

Off in the distance they heard the moans of the living dead, the darkening sky welcoming their wakening Thalia and Juniper turned ready to guard their backs or scout somewhere else to stay if their current option fell through. They needn't have worried as the door opened soon enough for them to see an older teenager, possibly under sixteen, you never knew. Some looked old for their age, others younger.

He was handsome, Annabeth had to admit, she noticed Will eyeing him up. The stranger had baby blue eyes, short sandy blonde hair and was lean and muscular. But what stuck out about him was the long thin scar from his left eye to the tip of his pointy chin.

Annabeth spoke up "We need somewhere to stay." the boy chortled, a full on laugh which made the others check their surroundings to make sure they wouldn't be surrounded by adults unknowingly.

"What?!" Leo asked indignantly. "It was fair enough to say."

The handsome boy pursed his lips "You all there is in your group? No more, no surprise?"

Annabeth and Leo shared a weary glance. Hating the underlying anxiety of supporting somebody else other than himself. Typical.

Annabeth shook her head again, having much the feeling of those bobble heads her head always shaking or nodding. Well, of late that was.

"Just us." she said, her voice quiet and tone serious.

The boy calmed a little and looked the rest of them up and down before saying "Okay, you can come on in. But your feeding yourselves. I have enough food to last me the winter... but not with all you lot here."

Annabeth turned to see how everybody else reacted to that, looking at their tired and hungry faces, scratched and dirty. They just wanted inside, to relax. Even if it wasn't permanent, it had been a long day.

Leo grinned, lifting a bony hand to high five the guy who was almost a foot taller than him "Nice,"

They were about to surge through into the house, away from the nearing dark sky when he stood in front of them, effectively blocking their entrance.

"Wait."

Thalia glared at him as if he was insane. Because really what else was there, terms had been made, no threats or anything. Why would he then change his mind?

He smiled at them, remind Annabeth of a shark smiling at it's prey. "What are your names? I can't invite you in without knowing the names of my guest, can I?"

Leo shrugged "Guess not, the names Leo."

Thalia still looked at him wearily, still un-trusting of his age, but to be frank anybody who was older than sixteen would have succumbed to the disease, it had been going on for just under a month, though it had progressed slower in Britain "Thalia," Juniper grinned at the boy from ear to ear. Out of all of them she was the one to adapt the slowest, and was more openly happy to accept the boys charity. "Names Juniper."

Will looked at the boy "Will Solace." was all he said, eyes still intent on the boys button down shirt, with the buttons up all the way.

"And you in the dress?" the boy said in a cocky manner, making Annabeth stretch her lips in a thin line, still cursing the fact she had decided to wear a dress even though she wasn't going to be there for the twin's birthday. It was the only dress she owned, a vintage number she picked up at a car boot sale back in New York. It stopped mid thigh and flaired out from the waist, a plain royal blue, a heart shaped cut to the top, with off the shoulder sleeves. But the rest of her outfit was wholly more appropriate. A worn leather jacket, and her hardened black Dr Martens, dark ripped tights on her legs. But there wasn't much she could do about that now.

It wasn't the most important matter anyway.

Surviving day to day was their number one priority, shelter, food and shelter. In the long run they would need somewhere bigger, more protected than that of the house before them.

"I'm Annabeth, we don't know your name though? Host?" she raised an eyebrows, secretly praying that he would hurry his introductions so they could barricade inside and plan from there.

"I'm Luke."

Leo seemed to be more panicky as well, looking over his shoulder agitatedly. "Can we come in then?"

Luke parted from the hallway inside and one by one, still casting their eyes back they trooped inside the marginally warmer house.

Will was the first to pipe up "So... Luke, when's your birthday? Hit any big numbers lately?" his tone was casual but there was an underlying glint to it that made Annabeth slightly more confident in their entering.

Luke chuckled from in front, much more laid back then any of her group ever were in the new world of monsters. He obviously hadn't gotten out much, or was older than he was letting on...

"Nope, I'm fifteen, I do look that little older though, almost got speared by a few passers by the other day because of it! Gave me a right old shock. Wasn't handy any more!"

Annabeth forced a smile, she still felt something off about the boy, about Luke. "I bet! Now is there any particular room we could use, just the one, preferably up-stairs but its obviously up to you..."

Luke 'hmm-ed' and haa-ed' before saying "Well there is a big enough room up the left, windows clear, well obviously it has curtains but I haven't blocked up the windows like I have with both downstairs... I'll show you now."

Luke led them all up the stairs, treading up them stealthily and quietly. Just because they were inside didn't mean the threat was gone. It never would be.

Luke flourished an arm to the dingy room before them, saying "Ta-da! You can stay in here for now. I'll show you more in the morning."

Annabeth and the rest of her group settled down, not properly, but relaxed at least a little. Setting their back-packs down on the dusty carpeted floor of their space. Sitting near the window, some peering cautiously out, others eyes on the open doorway.

"Right, who's going too take first watch?" Leo said, wiping at his eyes sleepily.

"Four hours each?" Will questioned looking at each of them one by one. Which didn't take long considering their dwindling numbers.

Annabeth nodded curtly "I agree. I'll take first watch along with...? First we'll have to check out the rest of the upstairs no matter how at ease our host Luke is..."

Will volunteered "I'll go on watch with you, I feel as if something's off about this place... I'm not sure just yet."

Annabeth nodded at him, offering a small smile, We'll wake you up when we're holding our eyes open to stay awake."

Juniper smiled weakly, eager to soon be sleeping. Resting. They all were. Leo particularly, yawning continually. Annabeth smiled at him fondly, glad she had him by her side, with his constant humour and skill with a machete.

"You can rest now, we've got your back." Will said fist bumping Annabeth who ran a hand through her hair, still worried about where they could possibly head.

* * *

Percy Jackson thwacked another teacher down as his best friend, the 'perfect' golden boy Jason cowered beside the old maths teachers desk. Somewhere Percy had sat in front of way too many times to count. Far too many incidents of trouble over the years to keep track.

But now in England stuck in boarding school as the world was quickly lost to diseased flesh eating monsters he had a fair amount of time to dwell on past incidents of lighter times. Lighter times also spent in New York his would be home, where his mother resided with his step father Paul. Well they had, along with his eight year old brother Tyson and baby half brother Sciron.

They would be dead in the new world.

That or flesh eating monsters. Percy would rather them dead then that, anything over that a thousand times over. But he still worried over Tyson and baby Sciron, worried the terror they would be facing, or the terror they had faced as they were torn limb from limb.

Don't think about it Percy! Focus! His brain yelled at him, he couldn't get distracted. That's how people died, that's how the zombies got them. That's how Lee had died only days ago.

"Come on Jason! Do something, anything! Just not sitting yourself useful hit something, board up part of the windows!" Percy wanted to roar at Jason, sitting there wide eyed completely and utterly useless.

"I'm- I'm keeping watch." he said somewhat in a quivering voice. "Perce look out!" he said pointing to the moment a teacher lay motionless.

Percy swerved in time to knock down another teacher trying to reach Percy's pulsing throat, not quite there as Percy hit him with the bat, ensuring the old teacher stayed down.

Percy felt his heartbeat racing before whispering to Jason, his previously best friend "Let's go, it's boarded up as best as can be for tonight."


	2. I really hate school

Percy sat with the remainder of his classmates in the what used to be the common room for the younger year groups, it was in a part of the school which they had rendered safe for the moment. Not _safe_ safe, but safer than out there. Out where the people who had once taught them what they needed to know in the wide-wide world and learned along-side them were prowling around, searching and yearning for those insides flesh and blood.

He looked at her friends faces, people he knew better than he once though he ever would. Though there was of course some of his better friends Jason and Beckendorf, Percy remembered the terrible eve they had been split from the rest of their friendship group, Grover and Travis.

He winced when the roll of memories all involving himself, Grover and Jason as they grew up together. Jason and Percy raised together, Grover living in the flat across from them, not that it made much difference they were always seen together wherever they went. Grover's house, Percy and Jason's. Anywhere.

"What are we going to do?" Percy questioned, eyebrows raised behind his feathery ebony hair that had grown almost shoulder length since the world spiralled. He'd needed a haircut before the apocalypse but since then his hair situation had become dire. Much the same as the rest of his life.

His tone became harder. "Well?"

Jason spoke up, his eyes still not meeting Percy's though. "I think we should stay here, we can just make it safe again in the morning, as we've done previously... one half of the schools okay for the time being."

Connor pursed his lips, his already long sombre face becoming even thinner. "We should see what it's like on the outside, also foods running low. We got split from people, we should try and find them again before it's too late..." his voice hoarse so he unscrewed the lid to what remained of their water supply and took a tentative sip.

Beckendorf shook his head at what had been suggested so far. "But _where_ would we head? We need somewhere we can set up camp and stay safe, stock up on food as well. I think we should head into London, we're only a few miles out from there... wouldn't take too long."

Percy nodded, liking that they were thinking of a few more different ideas. Things that would be useful in the long-run. Not just meeting up with your brother or whatnot. He flitted his eyes around the rest of the room Dakota counting his luminous kool-aid cans, Cecil distractedly tapping his thigh. Lost in thought. Lee and Michael excitedly wondering if they could reach Mr Brunner's room, it was fairly close to the part of the school that they had 'safe zoned', but that didn't necessarily mean much.

"I like the idea of London, but where, somewhere big and protected? Tower of London? Buckingham Palace perhaps?" Percy volunteered the information freely but quietly as they heard the quiet scrapings outside and a far off scream, screaming and name calling.

Cecil grinned showing his smile that was too big for his face saying "I've never seen Buckingham Palace before, we could dine like kings!"

Dakota snorted "Well, they would be stocked up pretty well wouldn't they, having wanted to keep the queen safe at costs until they realised they couldn't escape the threat..."

They were all nodding and agreeing jokingly, even the most nervous of them were a little more relaxed, Jason mimicking a sort of royal salute and bow, Lee looking at him giving a half hearted snort.

He tried to block out the screams and gauge what he actually thought on the matter, but he then heard the name "GROVER!" being yelled desperately and he tensed, grabbing his bloody baseball bat, Jason wincing, Percy knew he had heard 'Grover' being called too. He could hardly ignore it.

He wasn't the only one preparing for battle. Connor was too, likely for his older brother Travis. "Guys." he said quietly, clenching his makeshift spear. They hoped they could gear up properly, after all Mr Brunner their teacher of Classics, including Ancient Greek Mythology, he had a totally decked out room, filled with weapons. Literally, swords and knifes, more than just that though. Bows and arrows. Which both Lee and Michael itched to get their hands on.

Percy gave a decisive nod, not totally understanding why but he soon darted to his feet. The others mimicking his movements and they quickly heaved the cupboard away from the common room door, stuffing food into old back packs instinctively knowing they wouldn't be returning to that room. That they would be leaving for better or for worse.

Beckendorf indicated from the edge of the door frame, beckoning them on, all previous ideas out the window. Percy glimpsed back to where they had spent the last few days, constantly trying to find a better, safer room. Many options compromised with dead bodies of people they had chatted with, about and played against in football. racing against them in swimming. just attending school with them. Ripped to shreds, not much blood though, that had been cleaned up pretty quick by the eager to eat teachers.

Always hungry for more.

Jason was furthest into the room, but his eyes widening in what Percy thought would once have been comical he edged further into the small determined group, hoping his chances of survival would rise the closest to the middle he was, with the younger the people. Like Cecil who was only a year seven student, scrawny by even their standards. If Percy had still been in America he wouldn't have even been in high school.

Cautiously, like they did everything then, they tiptoed out into the corridor which had only a thin layer of gunge, they had scared them away quickly at first, holing up inside back when only a few were ill and flesh eating and they thought it was a completely random situation. Even Mr Brunner helped them clear out the area, going further into fights, deeper into the battles. Sorting out as many zombos as he could before he too perished among the sickly and the dead, Percy hoped he was dead, he wasn't sure he could kill him if he faced him in a dingy blood stained corridor, not after Mr Brunner had saved his life.

His and Jason's back when things weren't being taken seriously, nobody thought that what was happening was a big problem.

 _They had thought it was all an elaborate joke. It wasn't reality, couldn't be. With that thought in mind Percy, Jason, and a slightly older student...Leroy? Who was also in year eleven but had an early birthday, September or October. Anyway they had taken to the streets, broken out of the boarding school (Percy's bad influence he was willing to admit.) and they were spraying cheaply coloured graffiti on the generic red brick walls, with the damp stains and dirt marks._

 _It was when they were finishing their second tag that they noticed nobody was trying to stop them. That there was a deadly silence hanging over them, it was painful how quiet it was. They continued, trying to laugh it off, pretending there was nothing wrong though their heartbeats were racing, when they first noticed the big group of adults wandering slowly over to them, both of their faces breaking out in big grins._

 _They may have still known something was off, but they felt reassured by their presence even if they would soon notice the strange changes, the limping, the smell of walking rotting flesh and dried blood which caked their lumpy misshapen hands. Something they were to soon become used to._

 _It was then that Mr Brunner zoomed beside them in his dark-red beat up old car just as the horde of zombos were almost upon them, all three of them were staring slack jawed at the sight before them, they were struck dumb. Just staring at the mindless creatures the adults had become._

 _Focusing in on the blood caked hands, blistering with pus and boils oozing a dark purple substance. It was something out of an old horror movie, had they stumbled on some films set? Perhaps a TV show... It just couldn't be real though..._

 _It was fact, they hadn't saved themselves, hadn't been heroes when Leroy got pulled into the masses they hadn't gone blazes into the fight. Whirring through the once adults in a fury, slicing through the like soft butter._

 _They had been slack jawed, not only that but Percy begrudgingly, actually wholeheartedly, said that they too would have been overwhelmed had it not been for Mr Brunner, grabbing them by the scruffs of their scrawny necks. shoving them into his car before hacking away at the mass of writhing bodies, feasting hungrily at the guts of someone they had only moments previously been goofing around with. Joking making fun of all the big worry._

Shaking his head Percy continued to stalk the corridor, Connor at his side just as eager to be getting along. Finally attempting to get away from the god forsaken place that had once been a dome of education. Preaching all they would need in the world. Hmph. Not bloody likely. The only lesson that had prepared them even slightly was Mr Brunner's, Gym was a complete and utter joke. Nothing about football or swimming had saved any of his other mates, the football team being among the first to be swamped, thinking it was something they could deal with.

Just because they had once been the kings of the school didn't mean they would be of the world. Percy hated how righteous he had felt upon seeing their carcasses, but also how troubled he had been, if the strongest and fittest of his year group couldn't handle it then how would they?

Would Percy have to swim away from the zombies?

Well, he would have the advantage if they couldn't swim, just sank o the bottom as he thrashed and pulled away from them...

Percy knew what he was doing. Knew he was trying to distract himself from the stitch that was happening. That his best friend Grover was dying, well he was jumping the bullet there but with the amount of people they had lost since it had started the odds were high, and most definitely NOT in their favour. All of his groups expressions were grim, but determination was plastered on every single one of them.

Even Jason who had tried to avoid every single fight since it had happened, having seen what happened to the many who had fought early on, well, even earlier than they were in it.

They turned down corridors and twisted, him and Connor easily bashing down the two teachers coming towards them, with their heavily one sided limp, practically dragging their legs against the once clean carpeted floor with its sickly pattern, supposedly to hide dirt. It didn't do much to hide the trail of gunk they were leaving in their wake...

They could see them now, could see Grover, Travis, Malcolm a younger boy... Clovis, and a girl? Huh? She had long wispy blonde hair framing a pretty face and was slender to the extreme, a willowy frame. How in the Hades was she in an all boys boarding school? Either way, Grover and Travis were trying to get Clovis back from the fraying older teenagers, marled by the illness, severe cases of acne and leaking eyeballs, one gungy eyeball dangling of a pink slimy sliver causing bile to rise up Percy's throat, hastily he swallowed it down, anxious to get the fight over with.

Suddenly Charlie Beckendorf practically bowled him over as he ran like a beast to where Percy could see the girl almost being swarmed by a new set of teenagers, an old form. Sticking together even in their death. Percy counted them as dead. They weren't exactly the people they were when they were alive were they?

Percy let out an unhelpful battle cry, basically calling every zombo in the school towards him.

Genius Percy.

Percy swung his bat with more enthusiasm than he had played baseball with back in the good old days, as adults would say. Not that they said much anymore... He managed to take out three teenagers in one swing, like they were skittles in a bowling alley. But it still wasn't the strike he wanted and needed. Or even a banana split for that matter.

From the corner of his eye he saw the final struggle between the two groups. One decidedly evil, the other... well not good, but the 'survivors' would be the best word. Not that Percy had the best range of vocabulary, that was Malcolm's territory. Not that he seemed to be doing much in the fight.

Percy had the nerve to let out a sigh as he saw the majority go down, but the looks on both Travis' and Grover's faces was that of pain. He could tell the outcome wasn't great. That another kid was gone, lost to the fervent hunger of the adults/ zombos.

He really needed a specific word for them! Something different to just adults, the word had been reassuring before, unless you were in trouble but since it had become one of terror. It had to be something separate to the old world.

Something of their own.

As it was theirs now. Their world, some world it was too, death and starvation unavoidable. Then again Percy hadn't been away from the school since, they might all be acing it flicking the adults/ zombos down with their little fingers, bored expressions on their faces.

With a humourless laugh Percy meandered over to where the others stood forlornly, heads hung low, shoulders slumped forwards their shoulder blades sticking out from under their t-shirts, visible with the little they were all eating.

'Rationing' was what they called it aloud.

Grover seemed as if he was about to tear up, Percy could sum up the situation from down his end of the corridor, where he had been forced too in the scuffle only minutes previously. The younger boy, barely twelve was gone. Clovis was gone, not even a body. Nothing to bury, nothing to remember him by except the faint trail blood trickling away down and around all the corridors the older teenagers would inevitably drag his body down.

Guts spilling.

Percy ran a hand through his unwashed ebony hair, before hurriedly checking the rom the others were previously barricaded in, sitting at a desk hoping the others would take the initiative to follow.

They did but it was not the happy reunion they had dreamed of and secretly hoped for. There was a lot to do, so much to sort, too many tales to tell. Tolls of the dead, arguing over where to go, there was also the confusion over who the hades the pretty girl around their age was.

Seriously.

* * *

 **Thank you for the lovely reviews and for following and adding to favourites! :)**

 **If you were in a zombie apocalypse how far do you think you would make it, would you die early on or last maybe seven months, or even longer again?**

 **P.S. Is there any particular word you would prefer to 'zombies'?**

 **At the moment I can think of 'zombos' 'zoms' plain old 'adults' or maybe 'walkers', 'elders' could be a possibility but that could just mean anyone older than you and they might be under sixteen... ugh.**


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